The Long Way Home
by MistyLU
Summary: A modern doctor finds herself in a world she never dreamt about. In the past, alone, she's nothing but a pawn in a game greater than she knows. She just wants to go back but it will be a long way to go home, as she struggles to survive among Kings, Queens and evil Princes, holding the hand of the only man who can protect her: her kidnapper. And the love of her life.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: Throughout the drama, I always felt Eun Soo was an underdeveloped character. We can see how or what Choi Young is thinking, but Eun Soo mind is more difficult to read. So I thought I would try to give her a voice. What happened in all the time we didn't see her because we were focused on Choi Young? What was she thinking? What was her staying in Goryeo like?  
__I don't think I'll be able to perfectly portray her feelings but I'll try to fill in the blanks.  
__I'm thinking about writing one chapter for each drama episode but I don't know if I'll be able to stick with that.  
__I tried hard not to write this as I probably won't be able to update regularly. I write when I can, or when I have the inspiration to, so I can't promise daily updates, or even weekly ones. But I love Faith and Eun Soo too much and I couldn't refrain. Please bear with me and tell me what you think._

_Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

* * *

That was THE day. My big day. And it couldn't have started in a worse way.  
I guess a raging headache is the least you can expect when you go to sleep late at night, especially after working so much for your presentation. But with the Coex convention the next day, I couldn't afford any mistake. Who knew who I might have met there... maybe it could be my chance to meet again that famous man from my past that the fortuneteller kept blabbering about.  
I was lucky as I wasn't on shift at the hospital that day, so I could take my time in the shower and on my make-up. Being a female doctor isn't easy, even more when you're trying to build up your own career. You always have to look confident, showing that you're up to the task.

"Yes mom," I smiled at the phone, while picking my clothes from the wardrobe "I had breakfast. Well yes, I'm a bit nervous but I'm pretty confident. I worked a lot on this presentation. Wait and see, I'll find a sponsor before the day ends! Then you'll be the proud mom of a successful plastic surgeon!"  
I smiled again, listening to her. _She is a sweet mom, always worrying about me, always asking how I am doing. I guess my parents must feel a bit lonely in the countryside, since I definitely moved to Seoul.  
_Then she passed the phone to my dad and I sighed deep down. I loved my father dearly, but there were a couple of subjects we definitely didn't agree on.  
"Yes dad, I'll come visit soon, I promise. This is a busy period for me, I'm trying hard to find some money for my research." I switched the phone on my other ear, while nodding and rolling my eyes to the ceiling. "Well, that will have to wait, dad... right now it's work, work and work. I'm sure Seoul will still be full of men, after I'm done with my research." I sighed, sitting down on the bed. "No dad, we already had this conversation. I don't need anybody to take care of me. I can perfectly take care of myself. When and if I find a man, I'll still keep being your proud, stubborn red-head."  
I laughed at my dad's reply, crossing my legs "Well, yes, you can say that's a threat. Whoever this man will be, he will have to learn: Eun Soo is not a fragile doll. This is 2012, dad... women are independent now!"  
I laughed again, listening to my mom in the background trying to snatch the phone from my father, telling him to quit nagging me so much, because I had a busy day before me.  
Well, that was true.  
Still smiling after the conversation with my parents, I started dressing up. I had chosen my clothes carefully the previous week, each accessory thought to give the impression of an assertive, strong, reliable woman. Someone worth investing into. Hey, that was business! And I badly needed an investor.  
Then I looked myself in the mirror. I liked what I saw, the elegant, beautiful woman I was gazing at.  
"Fighting, Eun Soo! Don't you dare to mess up today, it's your big chance!"

_Big chance my..._ I stopped thinking, hearing my mom in the back of my mind telling me not to swear. Ok ok, mom... but come on, wasn't it unfair? That petty Dr. Oh didn't care for me at all. I listened to his whole lecture this afternoon, and though it was interesting, his voice made it definitely boring to listen to. And when I tried to talk to him after the lecture he just ignored me! To add insult to injury he just turned around starting talking to some other doctor. And he was the perfect investor!  
I was so angry I could have yelled at him in front of all those people. Oh, that would have been so satisfying! That man really seemed to be stuck on the 15th century when women were all family, children and cooking. Well, the hell with that!  
That was so depressing. Did I really need to find a rich husband in order to do what I liked? Why couldn't I simply find someone who trusted my work enough without feelings involved? I didn't want to marry! I just needed money!  
"Come on Eun Soo." I told myself in front of the bathroom's mirror. "You can do it. Your presentation is next and you just have to be awesome. Yoo Eun Soo, fighting!"  
I raised my fist and nodded at myself in the mirror before marching out of the bathroom to reach my convention room. Oh, they would realize I was good. I was the best. I was going to be the best! Yes!

I had them. I totally had them. They were all looking at me with attention, watching my presentation and not missing a word. After all the subject was interesting, as it highlighted the history of cosmetic surgery, from the first techniques to the new ones and of course, my personal work. Nobody said anything against advertising myself! Oh please, let there be a rich man among the crowd!  
I was in the middle of a sentence when the door opened and a man appeared. I paused for a second, looking at him, as he was definitely weird. He was all in black, but those weren't clothes. Was that... an armor? Like, a warrior's armor? He was walking slowly, looking at me and when he stopped at the edge of the stairs, I could take a good look. I memorized the presentation perfectly so I didn't falter, but that man was swaying the attention from me.  
_Ok, what is he wearing? It looks like a black tunic and an armor. His hair is tied and he's carrying... a sword? What's going on? Is he an extra for a drama, or what?  
_Then the security finally came in and took him away. But I knew it was too late. While I kept talking looking at my audience, I realized it was a lost cause. Their attention was definitely gone now.  
_Damn him, why now? It was going so good...  
_And there it was, my big day. I ended up being ignored by a potential investor and losing my audience because of a weirdo.  
Great big day Eun Soo.  
I complained loudly with a friend on the phone, even more because she didn't want to invest in me. Well, if even my friends wouldn't do it, who would? But as I told her, everybody would see. Three years, just three years, and I would have my own practice in Gangnam! I could do it!  
Then I sighed. Nothing much to do anymore that day... I could as well look at the convention, maybe I would see something interesting.  
Walking around, I was called to try a new pair of glasses for surgery. They were indeed as light as advertized and the magnification was good. They could be useful. I smiled as I listened to the man talking over and over about how good his instruments were until he stopped to complain about something.  
I turned around and there he was again: the man who barged in my presentation ruining it. And he was looking at me again. _Why? Is he following me? What does he want?  
_In this cases the best strategy is to just ignore the stalker, but it didn't really work. He actually had the nerve to come to me. Unbelievable!  
"There is a patient in urgent condition." He said, explaining a blood vessel in her neck was cut and asking me if I could save her. I failed to see why I should be interested. First, I didn't know this man. Second, I didn't know his friend. Third, he should have been with her at a hospital, instead of here, asking me if I could save her. And where were his manners anyway? Saying your name before asking someone to a perfect stranger wasn't in vogue anymore?  
When I tried to ignore him once more, he raised his voice as if he was annoyed at me, and asked me again if I could save her. _Ok, who exactly do you think you are to demand an answer from me? Do you really think I'll be impressed by the whole "I'm a mighty warrior" attire?  
_And yet, I bit my tongue, keeping the harsh reply. There was something in his eyes that wasn't making me comfortable. This was exactly the kind of guy I wouldn't be happy to meet in a dark alley... I was happy to be in a public place right there.  
I turned to the seller, looking for support, and I ignored the weird man again, but the moment I tried to leave, he blocked my path. And then he blocked it again. He wouldn't let me walk away!  
Before I could ask what exactly he wanted from me, the security guys came running. Oh, the relief. I was seriously starting to get scared there.  
"That's a real sword", one of them stuttered out. That was a real WHAT?

And then the man, probably feeling endangered, drew his sword.  
That was real. And if it wasn't, it was the best imitation I ever saw. And his eyes... I swallowed and quickly took a step to the side, while one of the security guys pulled out his gun.  
I was beyond scared now. What the hell was going on?  
The man was ordered to drop the sword.  
_Please, please, do as you're told, so I can leave and go home as fast as I can.  
_But he didn't. He turned at me instead, and asked me again if I could save his patient.  
His expression froze me on the spot. He wasn't even looking at the men surrounding him, his eyes never leaving me, urging me to answer, as if I was the only one he could ask that question.  
I opened my mouth and then closed it again, my heart racing in fear.  
"I'd have to see her!" I finally managed to say, "And see how badly she's hurt!"  
I don't know why I said that. I was certainly not going to go anywhere with this guy. But I just couldn't ignore his eyes anymore, even if they are scaring me to death.  
I saw him slowly repeating my words, as if trying to understand what I meant and then he turned to the security guys, clearly weighting them in his mind.  
He was so quick I barely saw what he was doing, but in the blink of an eye he hit the guy with the gun and pointed his sword at the neck of the other one.  
It was too much. I yelled and crouched down on the ground, looking for cover while the other people fled. _Oh god, this guy is completely crazy!  
_And then... he slashed the guard's neck.  
I think I stopped breathing for a moment there. I could see the blood flooding out the injury, but it all seemed in slow motion, like it wasn't really happening. Only that... it was.  
The injured man closed his eyes and collapsed while the other one murmured something and dropped him on a nearby table.  
"She was slit by a sword just like this," the psycho told me, like he was talking about the weather, "and it was about this deep too. Can you save him?"  
And then, since I didn't immediately got up to save that man, he resorted to threats. "If you can't save him, I'll try again with him." And he pointed his sword at the seller beside me.  
That terrified me. That look in his eyes wasn't pretending. He would have really hurt him. And the man on the table would have died without a surgery. I slowly got up on my feet.  
"Do you really want me to save this man? Right here and now?" Doing it in a conference lodge could be dangerous. And it was a long time ago since I was a surgeon. My specialty now wasn't to save lives, but to make beautiful faces.  
But the guard was dying. And the psycho wouldn't have allowed him to be treated at the hospital. It had to be there. I looked at the wound, trying to calm down. I needed my hands to be steady. And I needed tools. Apparently the psycho understood it, and I ran around, making a mental inventory of everything I needed. Since this was a medical convention, the tools were of high quality as well. I collected them as fast as I could, running back and always feeling the psycho eyes on my back.  
Then, with the help of the instruments seller, I started operating on the injured man. Years of practice came back to my mind as my hands were flying on the patient, like I never stopped being a surgeon. It was a job I loved. I was good at it. I was one of the best.  
I kept working until I heard the police talking through the speakers but after exchanging a quick glance with the seller, I kept going on. The police was coming. We were about to be saved. But that probably meant a confrontation with the psycho, maybe a fight. I needed to suture the guard before that. I needed to put him in a safe place before the police barged in.  
I couldn't help but jump when the psycho destroyed the phone, but I tried to recover quickly and to reassure my helper at the same time. I couldn't afford him to panic, I needed him to help me. So it was with a huge relief when I finally bandaged the injured guard and took off my gloves. It was over.

"This man is alive." The psycho looked startled, like he really wasn't expecting me to save the guard.  
I tried to explain him we still couldn't be sure he would have survived. I was hoping to persuade him we really needed to take the man to the hospital, but apparently all the psycho wanted was the confirmation that I actually _could_ heal such a wound. To my utter horror he started gathering the tools I used, telling me to stick close to him, that we needed to go.  
No need to say that I ran in the opposite direction. The look in his eyes when he realized I wasn't following him, was weird. I expected to see him rage, or shout, but he smiled in disbelief. It gave me the feeling of a man who was used to be obeyed and, since I dared to defy him, he couldn't believe his eyes.  
His grip on my wrist was an iron one and not matter how I tried to get free, I couldn't even slow him down. Again, he looked annoyed rather than angry. Or scared for all that mattered. Not even the knowledge we were probably surrounded by the police seemed to scare him.  
He looked at me, leaning closer and smirked. "We're going to break through the front."  
He kept dragging me towards the exit until finally the police surrounded us. He shoved me behind his back and that surprised me. Wasn't he supposed to use me as a hostage? You know, like in all the movies? What happened to the "Let us go, or she dies?"  
Not that I was complaining about not having his sword right at my throat, but the way he stood before me like I was the one in danger, amazed me.  
It was the first time I saw him a bit scared as well. He obviously never thought so many policemen would come. I saw him looking up and in front, as if counting them but he never replied me when I begged him to turn himself in.  
What did he want to do? Was he really crazy? For a second I saw myself trying to run away, him quickly turning around drawing his sword and the police shooting. He would have died. And maybe I would have as well. So I did the best thing I could think about: I crouched down again. If they were going to shoot him, maybe laying down would have saved me. I crossed my hands on my head, closed my eyes and waited for the inevitable.  
And then... it wasn't exactly a gunshot noise. It was more like all the windows exploded. I heard the policemen screaming, a loud noise and then silence. I couldn't even manage to open my eyes until I heard the psycho voice again. He was almost apologetic. Almost.  
He shoved me on his shoulder and carried me away, while I was kicking and screaming, begging for help.  
The road was a mess of broken glasses, I could see all the policemen laying down, just where the explosion threw them. Was this what he meant by "breaking through the front" ? He had some exploding device? And where was he taking me?  
No matter how much I cried and tried to break free, nobody came to help. I could see people on the street, but as soon as they saw the sword they ran for their lives. I could only imagine the eyes of my kidnapper by now, those eyes that were clearly announcing not to mess with him.

Then he finally let me down. I begged him to let me go, but he replied we just needed to go in "there". What the hell was "there"?  
Turning around, I finally saw it. What was that? It looked like a vortex of some sort, a mystical type of energy. I could barely stand on my feet now, terrified. What was happening? Who was this man? What did he want from me? What was that... portal? This had to be a nightmare. Stuff like this couldn't be real. It looked like magic, but magic didn't exist.  
"I'm not going to kill you," he explained me once more, his voice calm now, "if you just save her, I'll send you back."  
Save her? Save who? Send me back where? Here? So that vortex was going to lead us somewhere else? I didn't want to go!  
I collapsed on the steps, crying the first thing that came to my mind. "Liar! I saw your face. Kidnappers will kill you if you saw their face. I've seen it in movies, so I know!"  
I knew it was ridiculous. For one, I knew his face was recorded on the convention security tapes. The police didn't need me to draw an identikit. But wherever he was going to take me, I would see the faces of his accomplishes as well. The face of the injured person. I was positive he was going to kill me for that. And that vortex terrified me, I couldn't understand what it was.  
I tried to run away once more but he kept me down with one hand. Then he knelt down before me.

"I am Warrior Choi Young of Goryeo" he quietly told me. His voice was soothing now, like he was trying to calm me down. And his eyes weren't as icy as before. For a moment I thought he would actually let me go. He could see how much scared I was and he looked sorry for that. Then the next words wiped out my hopes.  
"Upon my word as a warrior, I swear on my life and my honor, I'll send you back if you save her. I promise."  
I looked at him, trying hard not to cry, shacking in fear. He stared at me, as if trying to make me understand he was really meaning what he promised. He would send me back. But first I had to go with him. There was no other option.  
He seized my wrist and pulled me up. I tried to resist, still begging him with my eyes but he didn't let me go.  
We stood there for a moment, looking at each other and I could see it in his eyes: _Trust me,_ they were saying, _I promised you.  
_  
And then, it was dark.


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

* * *

I think I'll never be able to properly describe the passage through the vortex.  
Was it even a journey?It was dark but warm and I had the feeling of not moving a single step. It was like I weighed nothing, like I was floating in the darkness, lost in a single second of time, ready to embrace that calm infinity and be cradled in it forever.  
Then I felt a strong pull and it was over. My body weighed again, the air was surprisingly fresh and wind was blowing, carrying the scent of grass and humidity. _His_ hand was still tight around my wrist, reminding me why I was there.  
I opened my eyes, frantically looking around, noticing it was night now. But it was just late afternoon when we entered that vortex!  
My heart skipped a beat when I realized I wasn't in Seoul anymore. There was no city. No stairs. No lights. Nothing. Just trees and rocks. Even the vortex itself was different. My world, the world I always recognized as mine, was changed.

"Daejang!" I heard a boy scream and I finally found the nerves to look ahead, to the weirdest group of people I ever saw. Capes? Wooden shields? Swords?!  
_He_ wasn't surprised to see them, but if the boy was calling out for him, then they knew each other. Not to talk about how perfectly he fitted among them, with his black armor and sword. That meant they were a gang! Those men were waiting for him to take me there!  
My captor walked to them, dragging me along and one of the men stepped forward, with a worried expression. A man? More like a boy... he certainly looked younger than the psycho holding me and considerably shorter as well. Maybe they were brothers?  
"Wudalchi." He called him, as to make sure it was really him. Or maybe to check if he was alright._ Oh don't worry, he's alright! He's perfectly fine! He only barged on my presentation, slashed a guard's neck and kidnapped me! Just that!  
_"I have escorted her here," was the answer. Escorted? This is what he was calling it? "She is a Healer of the Heavens."  
Then he pushed me forward, in front of that man, as if to show me. I suddenly felt terrified, more than I already was. In that moment I perfectly understood how an animal must feel when people are looking at him at the zoo. I never felt so much exposed, helpless and scared in my whole life.  
The man looked at me uncertain, like he was trying to understand if that was the truth. I knew it wasn't. A healer? Ok, I was a healer. A surgeon to be correct. But the Heavens? I certainly wasn't from the Heavens.  
_What if this psycho came to the wrong place? What if he brought me here by mistake? I saw them, I saw them all. The armors, the swords... it's just like him! What if they are a band of murderers? What will they do to me when they find out I'm not what they think?  
_That thought froze my body for just a second before giving me a sudden bolt of energy. I broke free from that damned iron grip and ran for my life to that scaring vortex. I didn't know what would have happened when I crossed it. I didn't know if I could go back to my dear, old Seoul. But I knew what would have happened if I didn't try. Those men would have killed me!

I was there, almost there. I could already feel that strange wind calling me when _his_ hand caught me again, pulling me away from safety. _No, no!_ I silently screamed, begging him to let me go. This time when he shoved me to the man (was he the leader among those weird guys?) it was with more than a little impatience, like I was throwing an unnecessary tantrum. I clearly felt that he was ready to throw me on his shoulder again, if I tried to run away once more.  
A picture of me, carried away on his shoulder like some sort of trophy among all those men almost took my breath away, making me run for cover behind _his_ back. I couldn't run to the gate, I knew _he _wouldn't let me escape. But at least I could try to hide from all those prying eyes.  
"Is her Highness still alright?" I heard him ask to the boy. Maybe he really was his leader. Aren't they supposed to be like that? The leader is usually the one you could never expect, the one who's supposed to use his brain, letting his minions do the dirty job. So maybe I had to thank that boy, maybe it was him who gave the order to bring me there. And maybe this "Highness" was his mother? His sister?  
My brain was going on overload, trying to understand what was going on, to make sense of what I was seeing. Sense? Who was I kidding? There was no sense.  
"Wudalchi, you were gone for just a few moments," said the boy-leader. "How can this be possible? Is she really a Healer from the Heavens?"  
_I'm not! I'm not! Just let me go back home now! Please spare me!_ That's what I wanted to shout, before running again. But my throat was closed and my body glued to the ground. I couldn't move even a single step.  
"I saw her healing the same kind of wound of Her Highness." _He_ nodded to the boy, showing some kind of respect for him. Ah, so he really was his leader!  
"Then we must return back at once!" Another man interrupted, behind the back of the boy-leader. "Your Majesty, we must bring the Divine Healer to Her Highness as fast as possible!"  
The boy looked at me again. I was still hiding behind _him_, but I felt those eyes on me, looking, examining, doubting. Still, he nodded, giving the order to move fast back.  
"Dae Man!" the psycho called out, and the boy who first greeted him came forward. "Stay with her. Don't let her run away."  
Then he left, leaving me with the boy and apparently organizing the... troops? He was giving orders left and right to protect the "King" and myself as well during our journey "back". So my first impression that he was a man used to be obeyed was right. Everybody was just "Yes" or "Yes Daejang!" as soon as he opened his mouth.

When we moved, my "guard" walked close by my side, never looking at me but still giving me the impression I'd better not try to run away. He sure looked like a watchdog. But where or how could I run? Those men were everywhere, surrounding me and I could barely see where I was walking in the night.  
I kept gazing behind at the vortex while I was taken away, until I could see its light no more. My heart broke down when it disappeared and I barely held a sob, refusing to cry in front of all those strangers. We only had the moon to light the way now. It looked enough for those men, but it sure wasn't for me as I kept tripping everywhere. We were walking in a forest and my heels weren't happy to meet dead leaves and damp ground. Nor were my feet!  
I don't know how long we walked, but everyone was silent, on guard, as if they were expecting an attack every moment. _He_ was on front, leading the way. The boy-leader was at the center of their defence, with me just behind.  
None of this made any sense. The titles, for once: Her Highness, Your Majesty, the Divine Healer... who was this people? What was happening? I was tired. I already had a long day before this psycho kidnapped me. Now they were forcing me to walk and walk and everybody was behaving like they were in some historical drama. And nobody was talking. I was afraid to open my mouth, to beg them to let me go again. They were so tense that I was scared somebody would have drawn the sword at the first noise.  
Then, I caught the glimpse of what looked like a village. Or at least, those seemed roofs. We walked down a hill and entered the "village", going straight to one of the houses there. I caught a common relief sigh from the men as soon as we reached it and as soon as the boy-leader left us to go in his own room, _he_ turned to me again.  
"Follow me." was all he said and with all the "guards" still surrounding me, I couldn't do anything else but obey. It was a mess, everywhere: broken doors, shattered furniture, chairs and tables turned upside down, like there was a huge fight there.  
Upstairs it was no different, maybe worse. When I crossed the threshold of the room they were leading me into, I even saw blood staining the doors.  
_He_ shoved me in front again, to a man who looked at me almost incredulous.  
"Is this the Healer from the Heavens?" He asked, like he couldn't believe his eyes.  
I almost burst out saying NO! but _he _just nodded, saying he already verified that I could heal that wound. And, truth to be told, there was a young woman lying on the bed, pale from loss blood with a white cloth on her neck tamponing a slit.

I looked around once more, this time really trying to make sense of what I was seeing. Shattered wooden furniture, no light except from candles lit almost everywhere, blood, signs of fight. The weird clothes they were wearing, the swords, the armors. All this "Your Majesty" here and "Your Majesty" there. The ancient way of speaking. This new man talking about the wound in terms I could barely understand, saying something about Qi and acupoints.  
_Eun Soo, this is the time to think. Let's go with options. Option one, this is a dream. A particularly vivid dream. You fell asleep somewhere at the conference, probably on one of the desks in your conference room and now you're having a nightmare because your Big Day turned to Horrible Day._  
_Option two, you time traveled through that vortex and you ended up several centuries back in the past when there was still a King in Korea. Time travel and a magic vortex. Yes, let's rule this out._  
_Option three... this is a joke. Somewhere there is a hidden camera and suddenly everybody will burst out with something like "Got you, you fool!". The problem is the girl's wound looks real. And that deathly pallor can't be make-up.  
Option four...  
_  
I interrupted the man talking, clasping my hands. "I got it! You're filming a movie!"  
_Yes, and the magic vortex? How do you explain that? The weird location shift?  
_My rational mind was starting to bug me again. I shut it down, firmly telling myself it was just a "special effect". People can make you believe anything with special effects!  
This was the perfect explanation. They addressed each other with titles because they were actors. So the young boy was the King, the men were his guards and _he_ was the guards Captain. And the girl was an actress, injured while filming.  
The solution was very easy!  
"Just call 911. If I treat this patient and something goes wrong my licence will be revoked!" I was not going to risk that. My career would end before even starting! The girl's wound could be treated at a hospital, better than I could do there, in that filthy room. I brought out my phone, assuring them I would vouch for them with the police so the man beside the girl tried another tactic.  
"Are you really a healer? What kind of healer doesn't even take a look at a patient before her eyes?"  
_Oh, no, you go try that at another doctor, Sir. This isn't my responsibility! I won't take charge for something like that!  
_But as soon as I tried to leave, three men blocked my path. And then _he_ sighed and came over.  
"How many times do I have to tell you before you understand?" he leaned towards me, lowering his voice. "First save that woman. Then I'll see you safely back."  
I almost bowed my head in defeat. No matter how hard I tried, none of them would listen to reason. I knew this was probably going to be my doom, but I had no other choice. Taking a deep breath, I took control of the situation, looking at the wound, preparing for the surgery and sitting beside the girl. It was the second surgery that day and I was tired, not to mention that the young woman was in worse conditions than the man I healed that afternoon. The cut was deeper and she had lost a lot of blood.  
I don't know how much time that went on, but I noticed my captor fell asleep at a point. _Lucky you_, I thought._ I'd like to sleep as well._  
When I finally took my gloves off, I could barely stand on my feet. But it wasn't over of course. I tried to make it as casual as possible: I put on my jacket, told them what to do to cure the girl after the surgery and very casually walked outside the room, hoping to make my way to the door before anybody noticed I was leaving.  
Vain hope. There were awake men downstairs but they just bowed to me leaving me be. I bolted to the door. It was locked.  
And then _he_ was there again, keeping it closed. So, there we were. Was this the moment they would kill me? I did what they wanted, I cured the girl. Now they didn't need me anymore.  
"Please, let me live!" I cried. He grabbed my wrist again and dragged me back.  
"She hasn't woken up yet." He told me as if that explained everything.  
"But that takes time!"  
"Exactly!" he exclaimed "So while we're waiting you cannot leave."  
They wanted to wait until she woke up? Then what? They would have wanted me to stay there until she was fully recovered? Then what?  
_Then... you die Eun Soo. He's just buying time, hoping you'll believe him and not cause trouble until the moment he gets rid of you forever._

But this time I wasn't going to just stand there and do as I was told. If I was to die, at least I would complain about it! The psycho suddenly bowed in the midst of my complaining, and I saw the boy-leader upstairs. Maybe I could talk him into reason. Maybe I could still make it out alive.  
"Will she regain consciousness?" the boy asked me quietly.  
For a moment I was tempted to say "yes, you just need to take care of her.", but I knew that wasn't the truth. I also knew I would have to pay for a lie, so I just answered the truth, trying to making him understand my situation.  
"I cannot guarantee that. That patient is not my responsibility! I was forced into this surgery, this has nothing to do with my medical licence!"  
"Healer from the Heavens." He interrupted me, this time with slightly pleading eyes. "The country's fate rests upon her survival. The Heavens sent you here. Is this a sign my country is still under the Heaven's protection?"  
Heavens, countries... fate. If this wasn't a drama, and it wasn't a joke, then it had to be a dream. It couldn't be true. My mind went back to option one and, as _he_ kept blocking me from leaving, I just sat down, my head in my hands pleading for waking up from the nightmare. I really, really wanted to wake up.  
I heard the boy leave the stairs and then _he_ grabbed my wrist again. This was becoming a very unwelcome habit. Upstairs, he took me to a room, then proceeded to block every window with a lock, so that I couldn't get out. I was too exhausted to complain any further and the bastard knew it. Turning to me, he pointed to the bed. "Rest. As soon as Her Highness wakes up, I'll see you back to the Heavens. Quietly wait for me here until then."  
Then he left, locking the door.  
I slowly sat down on the bed, trying to refrain from crying. I always hated crying, but I really wanted to this time. I was prisoner in a place I didn't recognize, surrounded by weird people who carried swords. There was blood everywhere. I was alone and helpless.  
I laid down on the bed, turning to face the wall and closing my eyes.  
There was no way out. If that man wasn't telling me the truth about sending me back, then I was going to die.  
And with that last thought I fell asleep.

* * *

_Author's Note: as I can't reply to Lauren's review (she's a guest) and ZVKG-ai one (pms not allowed!), let me thank them there for their appreciation! Thank you so much for liking this :)_  
_As you noticed, I already broke my promise to dedicate each chapter to each episode. I was probably not going to have enough time to write down the full length of episode 2, so I decided to split it and deliver you a chapter before the week-end. I hope you enjoyed it!  
Also, I know Eun Soo declared she passed out during her travel from the Gate to the inn. I'll explain it in the next chapter.  
Until next time! :)_


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Note: Just a little something before the chapter... I received a review from a Guest (I'm sorry, but I cannot directly answer to Guests reviews!) where the reviewer noticed I re-wrote episode 1 in Eun Soo's point of view without really adding anything new. That's true. I thought I made it pretty clear in the introduction of the first chapter, but let's say it again!__  
__Yes, this is a rewriting of the drama in Eun Soo's point of view. In this fic, there won't be new events. The story will be the one we all watched. What I want to do is write it using Eun Soo's eyes. There were parts of the drama where she just disappeared and we didn't know what she was doing or thinking. Her state of mind, her thoughts, were never clearly explained. I just want to try to fill in the blanks. So, it can happen (it will happen) that I write something we didn't see in the drama, like I did with the phone call with her parents, or the first part of the convention, or her walk in the forest to reach the inn and cure the Queen.__  
__Nothing of the "new" events will change the storyline though. This is not an AU, this is canon. I will just add parts where I feel there are blanks to fill.__  
__For new events, I have another long fic in mind, about what happened to Eun Soo and Choi Young after the drama ended, but I'm not going to write it until this one is done.__  
__I hope now I explained better what I want to do with this story :)_

_Also, to Lauren: yes, I'm trying to stay true to the dialogues and the acting. This is also part of the reason it takes me so long to write a chapter... I'm writing with the episode in the background and I frequently read what I wrote while looking at the characters, so that I can confirm that their expression matches what I wrote :)_

_And now, the third chapter! This is a long one as I covered the rest of episode 2. At this point I'm not sure I'll stick to the one episode-one chapter rule. I feel the chapters are way too long._

_Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. __No copyright infringement is intended._

* * *

Waking up in the morning I was feeling much better. I wasn't exhausted anymore and now that the sun was high in the sky I was much more optimistic. I got up and stretched, wishing I could have something to wash with. Then I recalled I had some moist tissues and a hairbrush in my bag and I lit up: at least I could refresh myself and comb my hair!  
Looking for the tissues my hands touched my cellphone and I took it out, quickly looking at the door. I could hear no footsteps outside, so maybe I had enough time to try making a quick call for help. How silly of them not to take my phone!  
Turning it on though, my face fell down. No signal. No signal? What kind of movie set had no signal? I walked all the room up and down trying to get one, but it was useless. Well, at least now I knew why they didn't bother to take the phone... not even the 3G was working. There went my idea of calling for help.  
I sat down slightly depressed just as a girl came in the room, bringing tea. Was she a waitress? Maybe I could ask her then! Waitresses never earn that much money and I thought she could welcome something extra.  
"Excuse me..." I tried with a smile when she poured me a cup of tea. "Can you help me to leave here?"  
I got my wallet, showing her the money I had. Not that much to be honest, but if only there was an ATM near... the girl ignored me, tidying up the room. I recognized her, it was the same one of the night before: she always stayed by me while I was taking care of the wounded actress, so at least she wasn't a completely new face.  
I raised the stake. "50.000?"  
She ignored me again.  
"1.000.000?"  
Now she looked at me. Well, that was something at least. I was hoping she would pity me, but it looked like she perfectly understood the situation: I needed to get out of there and she was the only one who could help me. Of course she was trying to get as much as she could. And it looked like 1.000.000 won was just the starting point of our bargaining.  
When she turned around again, I sighed. More than 1.000.000 won would have been difficult for me. My house was sucking up all my money right now, and it wasn't even that big. Well, maybe if I asked for a little loan...  
"2.000.000!"  
That got her attention. 2.000.000 won were very nice money after all. She turned around with a smile and unlocked the window without a word. Finally!

I immediately sneaked out and ran into the street. It was early in the morning but it was already full of people... not that people stopped that psycho from kidnapping me last time. Everyone was dressed with ancient clothes, they were probably all extras for the movie. This was a rather huge set... I started wondering what kind of movie they were filming here. Some children even started following me around, probably asking themselves what I was doing there.  
_Step one Eun Soo: get out of here. Find a cab. Step two: manage to ask for directions without looking crazy. Crazy people always gets noticed. You don't want the psycho to find you!_  
So I quietly approached an old man. He looked like the kind type and I quickly tried to make up some excuse for my lack of knowledge about where I was.  
"Excuse me. It seems I passed out on my way here so I can't remember... where can I catch a taxy?"  
_Good one Eun Soo. You got here in a taxy, but you fell asleep so you can't remember the way. Perfect excuse. Nobody should think too much about this._  
I waited for some seconds but the man was just looking at me, rather confused. I started feeling definitely uneasy. Was he Korean? Maybe he was Chinese, maybe he couldn't understand what I was saying. Walking away, more and more people turned to look at me, making me speed up. That was bad, very bad. Everybody could tell that mad guy where I was!  
"Can you speak English?" I tried with a woman on the street. Still, no reply. Chinese wasn't a better choice, I still got nothing.  
Then, just as I was starting to lose hope, I heard a woman talking in Chinese and I immediately ran to her. Ok, Chinese never was my strong point, but I thought I could at least get some directions. Yet, my request for a public telephone was ignored. I took out my phone again, hoping there would be some kind of signal now that I was outside, but as soon as I raised it I saw the young boy, my "guard" in the reflection. Damn it, they already knew I was escaped! I had to hide, and quickly.  
There was a shop nearby and I hid behind some clothes, begging without a word the owner not to betray me. The watchdog was on my trail! I saw him giving something to a man and then that man ran away, while the boy stayed right there. He saw me. I knew he did. He was keeping watch while his accomplish was going to tell the psycho where I was.  
_Well, they will have to sweat to catch me this time!_  
I slowly motioned the owner to come over and she approached me, probably curious. By now I knew it was useless to try and ask for directions, so I simply took off my jacket, making her touch it. The look in her eyes when she held the fabric was satisfactory: that was a very expensive jacket after all! My heart was bleeding at the thought of leaving it there, but I needed to escape and my white clothes were too recognizable. I needed to blend in the crowd. I pointed to a pink tunic hanging in the shop and the owner smiled with a glint in her eyes. Smart woman. The exchange was done in a few seconds: I helped her to wear the jacket and I sneaked away, hiding beneath the pink tunic.  
_Find me now, psycho!_  
Now, the third step. Since it was apparently impossible to find a cab here, the only thing left was try to remember my way and get to that vortex by myself. I closed my eyes and tried to make a mental map of my surroundings: we crossed a forest and then the village was down a hill... so I had to climb the hill first thing. I looked at my shoes with disappointment. Perfectly fine heels, but not really suited to climb hills and lanes.  
_Let's hope I won't ruin them too much_, I thought starting walking. The sooner I got out of there, the harder it would have been for them to find me.  
Climbing up took some time and once I got a bit higher I turned around, not believing my eyes. Was this really a set? This really looked like an ancient village! Maybe it was some sort of reconstruction, but building all the houses must have cost a fortune!  
I followed the path but as soon as I got to another of those "villages" I knew it was the wrong way. I never crossed it last night. Oh, that was so frustrating! Why couldn't I ask for directions? Why couldn't anybody understand me?  
I started crying out loud, calling for people, knocking on doors, but there was no reply. Then, I heard a sound. People! There was someone near! Yes! I quickly walked there, finding a man hitting on an iron piece, in a forge. Maybe he was rehearsing for his scene in the movie?  
"I'm sorry to bother you..." I tried again, hoping this time I would be lucky. I wasn't. And the man looked kinda scary as well. I walked away just as another man was approaching. "Excuse me! How can I get to Gangnam?"  
He didn't reply but stepped closer and when I tried to step back I tripped on the blacksmith. And on the right there was a third guy. I was surrounded. Their faces were blank, no expression. The one in front of me even had a very frightening scar on his cheek. I was in danger.  
I didn't waste time and I bolted while yelling, managing to knee one of them. Then I took off my shoe, using the heel as a weapon but when I turned, the blacksmith grabbed me from behind. Then, pain as Scarface heavily punched me in the face.  
Then darkness.

When I woke up again, my head was hurting. I could feel blood in my mouth and my lip was broken; it was throbbing and by the pain I was feeling, I could say it was swollen as well. I tried to get up but I still felt dizzy and as soon as I raised my head, I saw Scarface just in front of me smiling a very scaring smile. I yelled and then the second man grabbed me from behind, seizing my wrists while Scarface gagged me. My hands were tied behind my back and Scarface left, telling something to the second man. Was it Chinese? Some weird dialect? I couldn't understand a word.  
Who were these men? Why were they doing this? In that moment I wished I never left the locked up room: I wasn't sure of what would have happened to me there, but at least the psycho never beat me up! They couldn't want money. My bag was right there and if that was all they wanted, they would have already left. So, what else could they want? Why me? Why binding me and keeping me there? Oh God, maybe they were planning to sell me somewhere? Slaves merchant? Or maybe, it was like in that movie, "Taken" ? They wanted to sell me to some prostitution racket?  
I suddenly sensed the man tense up near me and before I could understand what was going on, he drew his dagger, pointing it to my throat. The next second, my guard boy appeared on the stairs. We were hidden behind some ropes and he couldn't see me, but I tried to call for him, immediately silenced by the cold blade of my captor. _No, don't leave please! I'm here! Come back!_  
The boy left, without seeing me. I closed my eyes in despair, then I heard some fighting noise downstairs. It was over soon but the voice that talked next was the psycho's one! I couldn't move, I couldn't make a sound. The man behind me made it pretty clear that if I tried to be saved, he would kill me. When I heard the psycho leaving the forge, I dropped on the ground, suddenly without strength. He left. They didn't find me.  
It was pretty ironic that I was hoping to be saved by the one who kidnapped me in the first place, but some part of my heart was clinging to his promise to send me back home. These men were scary and ready to beat me and even kill me if I dared to oppose them, and even though I witnessed with my own eyes _him_ slashing a guard's neck, his behavior with me was different.  
Alone again, I was even more scared than before. At least I knew the reason of my previous kidnapping: they wanted me to cure the girl. Now I was completely in the dark.  
Scarface came back, that scary smile still on his lips. He talked with the other man in that language I couldn't understand and I could tell that he wasn't pleased. They kept looking downstairs, as if expecting someone else to come but when the man holding me tried to complain about something, Scarface shut him up with a short word. Then he looked down at me.  
"Be quiet and you'll be safe." He told me in Korean. "We won't kill you. For now. Try to call for help or run away and your corpse is the only thing the Wudalchi will find."  
Then he shoved me to the ground. "Don't move until tonight. Then you'll go on a trip." He ordered me with a grin on his face, but he was looking at the other man as well. By the look on his face, the one guarding me wasn't pleased with the order. He was clearly scared someone else would come and find me again and probably thought keeping me there was a bad idea. But maybe the psycho had some men around looking for me and they couldn't risk moving me somewhere else? That thought warmed me up for a minute, the thought of not being completely alone. I had to believe _he_ hadn't given up.  
My guard sat down leaning on the wooden wall while I tried to make myself more comfortable. Every move was met by a painful kick by the man, so at last I gave up, leaning my head on the floor and closing my eyes trying not to cry.  
_Yesterday I woke up and my biggest problem was finding an investor for my research and my hospital. Today I'm not even sure if I'm going to live or die. This has to be a nightmare. Someone please, wake me up now... end the dream. I want to wake up in my bed, cry a bit about this awful nightmare then walk to the window and see Seoul. Then I'll realize it really was just a dream and I'll forget it. Please, please... someone wake me up._

How much time passed? How many times did I try to get up just to be mercilessly kicked down? I never knew. But the moment I heard the wooden floor slightly crack downstairs, I knew _he_ had come back. I recognized him before even hearing his voice and again I cried in my mind to come upstairs, to not give up, to find me.  
"I'm going to take another look around." I heard him say after the boy who was always with him suggested to broaden the search. My eyes widened and if I wasn't already laying down, I would have fallen on the ground.  
_No, no, don't leave again! Look upstairs! I'm here! I'm here, don't leave me! You promised! I'm HERE!  
_And, as if answering my prayers, my phone started ringing, almost out of battery. My guard frantically looked in my bag, but as soon as he found the phone he threw it on the ground like it was a snake. It was as if he never saw a phone before. It was too late anyway. The psycho and the boy were climbing the stairs!  
Roughly grabbing me, knowing we would be discovered, my captor pointed the knife at my throat and walked to them, threatening me. When I finally saw _him_, I couldn't stop my tears anymore. I felt them stinging my eyes as I kept looking at him, crying and silently begging him to save me, somehow. With the blade ready to kill me, the psycho really looked like the lesser evil. He looked furious as I saw his eyes linger on my features, noticing I was hurt and even more when he saw the small trail of blood, where the knife had cut my neck. When the boy translated the threat on my life, my legs started shacking so much I thought I would have fallen on the ground. Time stopped for a moment as my pleading eyes locked with _his_ but then he looked at his young companion who just stepped over the wooden poles and moved away.  
The man was scared by the sudden movement, turning just inches away from me. I didn't see _him_ throwing the knife, but I heard its sound and I'll never forget the horrible noise when the knife thrust in my captor's chest, killing him. I felt his grip on my shoulder relax while he was falling to the ground, and I cried through the gag, throwing a glance at the corpse beside me. He was alive just a second ago, but now he was dead. The psycho killed that man because of me.  
I slowly knelt on the ground, crying and crying out of shock then _he_ walked to me, freeing my hands and kneeling down before me, to take off my gag.  
"You really are troublesome." He sighed not glancing at the dead man a second time, like killing him didn't matter at all. "Didn't I tell you to wait? Where did you think this is, running away like that? Look at you now."  
He was scolding me. He kidnapped me, scared me to death, forced me into surgery, locked me up and now he was saying my almost getting killed was my fault? My fault?! I looked at him barely holding my anger, knowing I was on the verge of tears. I didn't want to cry in front of him, not now, not ever! When his eyes softened, I could bear it even less. _First you scold me and now you try to pity me? Go to hell, you bastard!  
_I slapped his hand away when he tried to check if I was hurt and I got on my feet, forcing my shacking legs to sustain me. I limped around, one feet still wearing the shoe, the other one bare, looking for a way out and when I saw the psycho approaching me I burst out, holding back the tears.  
"Just try and come near me!" I shouted, throwing him my remaining shoe. "I'll show you what I'm made of!"  
The boy was holding my bag, so I snatched it from him, walking away. _You won't drag me back again! I want to leave and I want to leave now!  
_"Her Highness the Queen has awoken." The psycho announced behind me. I stopped, hope filling my heart once again, together with fear. The girl woke up? So now it was one of two options... either he was going to take me back to the vortex, or he was going to kill me where I was. But why kill me now, after saving me? So maybe, just maybe...  
"So I'll be seeing you back." he said, walking to me, my heart skipping a beat at his words. "To the world you came from."  
He bowed to me and then raised his hand but I backed off, still remembering his last act of courtesy to me, before carrying me off like a piece of luggage.  
"Don't throw me over that filthy shoulder of yours!" I rebelled, turning around and starting to walk. I didn't care how far it was from there to the vortex, I was going there with my own legs no matter what! "Treating me like luggage... you're insufferable!"  
Suddenly I wasn't on my feet anymore and I cried out loud when I felt his arms around me, lifting me up.  
"Serial killer psychopath!" I yelled, violently tossing and turning, trying to get down but he ignored me and stepped down the stairs, almost tripping on them. When I felt his arms suddenly lose their grip on me, I grabbed him not to fall down just as he was steadying up and strengthening his hold on me. Our faces were suddenly too near for my comfort and that shut me up. He silently looked at me for a few moments, then turned his head calling his young friend.  
"Dae Man," he ordered, "let them know that I'm escorting the Heavenly woman back."  
Turning back to me he warned "If you fall, you will be injured" and adjusted me in his arms, causing me to seize him even more and stay still. As if he just proved a point, he smiled and sighed satisfied, carrying me away.  
While he was walking, I wasn't able to say a single word. He was still smiling, but I couldn't tell if he was happy because I wasn't talking, because I wasn't trying to get down or because he found me so he could send me back. Or for all the three reasons together. There, in his arms, I started hoping that he would really keep his promise, that this nightmare would soon end. His hold on me was secure, strong and warm, telling me this man wouldn't let anything else happen to me. For the first time since waking up that morning, I relaxed. And when I did, I could swear I saw another small smile on those lips. Smiling suited him. It made him less scary and made it easier to trust him. _But I don't think he smiles often. He looks way too serious. Eun Soo don't be fooled, he can have a nice smile but you just saw him killing a man in cold blood. And that wasn't a special effect.  
_This wasn't a drama or a movie, now I knew. This was either real or a dream, but it couldn't be fake. The girl's injury was real, the pool of blood underneath my captor was real as well... and so was my swollen lip and the taste of blood in my mouth. I could just pray that it was a dream, it was my only hope now. Or, if it was real, that crossing that vortex would have sent me back home, where I could forget this whole ordeal.

"I need shoes." I told him at some point. "I can't walk through the forest without them." He was carrying me through the village where I was kidnapped, and even though I felt rather safe in his arms, I wanted to get down. I wasn't entirely at ease with this close proximity, I needed to put some distance between him and me.  
"I don't have any money on me." He replied without even looking at me. "I'll just carry you."  
"I need them!" I insisted. "I can't go back home barefooted. I'll exchange them for something in my bag."  
He stopped turning to look at me with very annoyed eyes but I just stared back, daring him to deny my request. The hell I was going back bloodstained, without my jacket and even without shoes!  
"You really are troublesome," he mumbled before heading to a square with some people. There seemed to be some shops as well and he didn't even stopped to look around before heading to one of them. The owner was a middle aged woman who bowed respectfully when he lowered me on a chair, finally letting me down. Not being in his arms anymore both relieved me and saddened me. That was the only place in this weird world where I had some relaxed moments. _Eun Soo, you're crazy. Get those shoes and go back home before having some crazier thoughts! Peaceful moments... who are you kidding? Never forget you're here because of this guy. He's not your __saviour, he's your kidnapper!_  
While he was talking to the shop owner, I leaned against the chair, really looking at him for the first time. He was a good looking guy: he was tall, athletic, and had a strong aura around him I never felt on anybody. This was a man in control of his world and his actions, a confident man. I wondered how he would look in ordinary clothes, without his black armor and his sword, but I couldn't really picture him in a suit and tie. Maybe it was the way his hair was. Or maybe it was the way he was standing. Looking at him, the armor was all I could see, like it was a part of his body. _This man is a warrior,_ I thought. _I can't see him as anything else._  
I lowered my eyes just in time before he caught me staring at him and I tried on the shoes he was handing me. He had a good eye because they were perfect. He nodded satisfied and then waited for me to pay the woman. It was time to part with another of my possessions. The first one to go was my jacket. The second was a butterfly shaped hairpin: the wings were a bright green and red while the body was golden. I sighed, thinking I just bought it the week before, wearing it just twice since then. The shop owner looked delighted as I helped her to put it on. I smiled, thanking her for the shoes and walked out the shop with _him_ close by.  
"Follow me." Was all he said, leading the way. This time I had no reason to run the other way and he knew it, so he didn't bother to seize my wrist or check on me. He was looking back sometimes but mostly walked in front, not caring if I was left behind, or so I thought until he suddenly turned around and caught me before I could even realize I was slipping on the damp ground. I cried and grabbed his shoulders to stay on my feet and suddenly we were too close again, his hand on my waist, keeping me up and mine around his neck, while I was trying not to fall down.  
I immediately let go, taking a couple of steps away from him and walked on, leaving him behind. Just a moment later, he was in front again, in complete silence.  
"So..." I tried after ten minutes of awkwardness, "I recognize this place. Isn't this the place from before?"  
There was no reply, so I tried again, hoping to get some directions. "I know where this is. From here to Gangnam..." My mental map wasn't helping me at all. "No. I don't know how to get to Gangnam from here."  
He wasn't saying a single word, just going on and ignoring my calls. But it wasn't long before I recognized the place. We were almost there! This was the clearing where the troops were waiting for him the night before. And there was the vortex!  
I stopped walking, looking at it, as frightened as the first time. No matter what, that gap was scaring. And I had to go through there if I wanted to go home. But at least it was in front of me now. The psycho really kept his promise.  
"Can you see it?" He asked me, the first words since we stopped to buy the shoes. "The portal is diminishing in size. It if closes, you will have no way to return. So please go."  
I stepped closer, looking at it. It was true, it was bigger the previous night. Was it really closing down?  
"I just walk right through it? Then some sort of door will open?" I asked a bit doubtful. The first time he was the one dragging me and truth to be told as soon as I had approached that mystic energy, I had closed my eyes. I had no idea what to expect now. "What will happen next?"  
"Just enter it." he answered. He looked quiet now. At peace. He probably was more than happy at the idea of getting rid of me.  
_Yes, well, I didn't enjoy it either, psycho._  
And yet, the thought of crossing that gate was making me very nervous. I never was one to believe in anything mystical and I wasn't that convinced.  
"What do you mean I just have to enter it? Shouldn't you do some sort of test first?" Well, truth to be told, he already did: he went through there and came back, even bringing me with him. But what if it wasn't that easy? This time I would be alone. "What if there are any side effects?" Like maybe the gate closing while I was passing through, or me ending up trapped inside forever...  
He didn't answer, maybe understanding why I was so scared, but he walked some steps until he was in front of me.  
"Thank you for your hard work." He quietly told me, before bowing his head. There was an unmistakable tone in his voice. This was a goodbye. He was telling me not to worry, that I would be able to go back home. And I would never see him or anybody like him, ever again. I could go on with my life like nothing ever happened.  
_Alright Eun Soo. You can do it. Let's go._  
I bowed back, and started walking. I was nervous. Millions of questions were running around in my head, and I knew I would never have an answer for any of them. One step after the other, I got closer to the vortex, between the bowed men, silently bidding goodbye to that weird world and preparing to step through the energy.

"Stop right there!" I heard shouting behind me. I turned around, already feeling the wind from the vortex calling me and I recognized the man: it was the same one who urged the young leader to bring me back to the injured girl at once. A dozen or so of the troops were with him and he was looking straight at me.  
"Heaven's Healer, you can't return." He told me. He never stopped smiling, like he was deeply satisfied and I wondered what was wrong. Had the girl got worse? Did she need me? Was someone else hurt? Or maybe it was because of that dead man? Somehow they needed me to understand what happened?  
_He_ didn't reply but he looked as surprised as I was. He stepped up, coming in between that man and me. His face wasn't promising anything good.  
"I, as Goryeo Warrior Choi Young, am sending her back in my name." He looked at him for a long moment before shouting "The man who is disregarding my name! Who is it?"  
He suddenly drew his sword and the man stepped back, as startled as I was.  
"Just try and stop me." He declared, ready to fight.  
I didn't know what to think. What was happening? Why were they trying to stop me? By now I knew enough to understand trying to bolt to the door would have been useless: there were two men near the Gate and if I tried to get away now, they would have stopped me. I just had to hope _he _would have been able to defend me.  
"These are His Majesty's orders, Wudalchi." The man replied. And I could swear there was a smug smile on his face, like he was happy to throw those orders in the psycho's face. "To stop the Healer of the Heavens."  
_He_ pointed the sword at him and the man jumped back, definitely scared. "Utter nonsense. I don't believe you." He declared.  
_Utter nonsense!_ I echoed him in my mind. _I have to go back! I can't do anything else here! Let me go!_  
"What... what are you waiting for?" The man yelled at the troops. "Seize that woman! This is a Royal Command!"  
I stepped back, looking at those men. They weren't happy of receiving this order. Their faces were clearly full of sorrow and disdain. And yet they drew their swords, ready to fight their leader to come and get me. If I moved a single step I'm positive all hell would have broken loose but I couldn't. I was too scared, already seeing the fight scene before my eyes: men shouting at each other, sword against sword, injuries, blood. If I had tried to run, they would have attacked.  
"Wudalchi Choi Young, I said this is a Royal Command." Again that smug smile. "Do you intend to defy your orders?"  
It was the longest pause ever. The two men confronted each other, neither of them willing to back off.  
And then _he_ turned to me.  
I could see it in his eyes, even before he moved the first step. I could see the regret, the anguish. But he would have done it anyway. He moved, and I moved as well. This time, if he caught me, he wouldn't have let me go. I would have been forced to stay there forever. I couldn't let him do this to me.  
I ran to the vortex, hearing his footsteps approaching. They were light and fast like he wasn't running, but flying. And when I felt his hand closing around my wrist, I knew it was over. He sharply pulled me back, just as I was about to cross the vortex and walked some steps back, to move away from it. I knew the strength of that hand and yet I pulled and pulled, trying to break free, crying and yelling. Maybe I was too close because he thrust his sword on the ground and grabbed my other wrist, pulling me on his chest. I was there, just a few steps from safety and he was holding me back, trapping me against his body, closing me in those arms I found so secure and warm just some time before. I cried and begged, I tossed and turned but he never let me go. He was holding me tight, his grip on my wrists an unbreakable one, his body nullifying any attempt to break free.  
Then suddenly, the wind was no more. There, trapped in his arms, I saw the gate closing inch by inch, my heart breaking down to pieces while I was forced to stay there and watch my way back home disappear before my eyes. And when he let me go, when I was finally free to move again, it was too late. There was nothing left there, nothing but a door made of rocks. I couldn't go home anymore.

Rocks. Just rocks. I touched them everywhere, trying to see if I could open that Gate again. Up and down, left and right... but there was nothing anymore there, just plain, cold rock. I fought back my tears, leaning my forehead on the rock, trying to breathe. It was gone, the Gate was gone. There was no way I could go back home now. And it was all _his_ fault. He got an order and he followed it. So what? Did he have to? His promise to me should have come first. Hadn't I done everything they asked of me? I operated on that girl, ensuring she would live. And yet, her guardian had ordered that I was trapped there. And his lackey had carried out the order. The bastard.  
I turned around, but he was gone. Oh, right. Now that he didn't need to keep me from leaving anymore, now that he didn't have to torture me by keeping me still right in front of the closing Gate, then he could leave me alone. After all, where could I go now? Anger filled me, giving me the strength to walk back and face the bastards. Everyone of them. But especially one.  
"You jerk!" I cried out, walking to him. "Didn't you promise me?"  
I took the sword from the ground, holding it in front of me. Whatever it was that they wanted from me, I wouldn't have let them have it so easily! But first, I had something else to do.  
"Didn't you promise to send me back?" I cried again. I felt tears fill my eyes, thinking back of how stupid I had been. I trusted him, I realized. I really trusted that he would have kept his promise to me. I believed that if I did my best with the girl, then I would go back home. But he betrayed me. He was nothing but a liar...  
"Psycho..." I told him, giving voice to my thought. "Murderer..."  
I was stupid enough to forget about the slashed guard, his coldness when he hurt him. His cruelty in threatening another innocent man if I didn't do what he wanted. I even forgot how he killed a man in cold blood, right in front of my eyes. I was so shocked at the time and so grateful that I chose to ignore the fact that he was a murderer, that it probably wasn't the first time he killed. And now I was paying for it. I choked down a sob, the sword shacking in my hands. I was so furious and hurt, and it was all his fault.  
"I'm going to kill you!" I shouted, half crying and half sobbing, running to him. It was useless and I knew it. I wasn't even able to hold that sword properly. And yet staying there and not do anything about his betrayal would have meant I had surrendered. I ran, just a few steps, the sword right in front of me, my head down, expecting to be stopped at any moment. And then I felt the sword piercing something, meeting resistance and ignoring it, going through. I raised my head and he was in front of me, the sword cutting his stomach. I froze on the spot, horrified. He put both hands on mine and... pulled me closer, making the sword stab him, getting out from his back.  
He didn't cry, didn't shout. Just his face was showing his pain. Oh my God, I stabbed him!  
"Why?" I asked, eyes wide, my throat closed. "Why?! You could have avoided it easily... why?"  
He made an effort to speak, his eyes clouded by pain, barely standing on his feet. "Will this... suffice?" He whispered before collapsing on his knees.  
And then I got it: he was trying to pay his debt to me. He promised me, on his life and his honor that he would send me back. Then he was forced to break his promise. And now he was giving me what he thought he owed me... his life. But what good could it do to me? How could it satisfy me? I didn't want his life, I wanted him to keep his promise! I wanted to go home!

I was suddenly shoved on the ground by his young friend, the one called Dae Man. His action unblocked the frozen troops and suddenly everyone was moving. Two of the men were sustaining the psycho, while the one who had given the order to seize me was coming closer.  
"How dare you raise your hand to the Divine Healer?" He shouted, outraged, slapping the young boy. Then he knelt down before me. "His Majesty is awaiting you. I will escort you."  
He offered me his hand, but I refused it. I wasn't even looking at him. My eyes couldn't leave the injured man on the ground while the slow realization that I had really stabbed him was sinking in my mind. I hurt someone. I hurt someone because I was angry and I wanted to make him pay for what he had done. But I never really intended to kill him. I was just trying to vent my anger. No, I didn't want to kill him!  
I shoved the man aside, running to the psycho, examining the wound. I needed to operate him as soon as possible but in the meantime that sword should not be moved from where it was. The man behind my back was still talking, but I could barely hear him. I was thinking about the surgery, what I needed, what I didn't have there with me. He needed blood, but I didn't have any to give him!  
"Our only option is surgery." I told the man holding him. "Do you have anything like tape?"  
"Tape?" He clearly had no idea of what I was talking about. I had to start thinking this was no dream. I had to start thinking this was really happening and that somehow I travelled back in time, to a century where they didn't have any idea of what tapes, or transfusions, or modern medicine meant.  
"We cannot move him until the sword is secured in place." I explained, trying to hold my impatience and thinking about the closest thing to a tape. "Something like a strong cloth!"  
The man started undoing his scarf while the one behind me was losing his patience. "I said there is no time for this! Please, we must leave now."  
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. He was the one who ordered the psycho to stop me and now he wanted me to leave him there?  
"Leave? What do you mean leave? What will happen to him if we leave?"  
"Leave him behind." The man answered, as cold as a stone. The troops were barely keeping their hands off him, they clearly cared for the psycho so the man lowered on the ground and directly addressed the injured man.  
"Wudalchi." He asked, again with that cold voice. "If we are delayed here for your sake, His Majesty will be endangered, so we must leave you behind. Don't you agree?"  
I immediately decided that man was a snake. How could he ask something like that to someone who just put his life in danger to repay a debt? He was obviously someone with a strong sense of duty. I realized the man perfectly knew the answer. He knew _he_ would have told us to go. He wanted _him_ to die here.  
So, when_ he_ told his men to leave him and go, I wasn't really surprised. He was clearly in pain and clearly needing help but he was still deciding to stay there, knowing he would have died. No!  
"I won't leave!" I shouted, ready to fight to stay there. I was a doctor, I couldn't let anybody die like that!  
"I know you don't understand the situation but..." the snake tried again, but I shrugged him off me with disdain.  
"I understand the situation." I replied, as cold as he was. Oh, yes I got it, I got what he wanted. But there was only a slight complication. "I stabbed him. If he dies, I'll become a murderer. I won't leave."  
"Very well." He answered, as if expecting my answer. "We shall do this instead."  
He walked beside me and grabbed the sword who was impaling the psycho. And he pulled it out.  
The blood came out rushing now that the sword wasn't avoiding it anymore and I cried out, immediately going to press on the wound, trying to stop the blood, while the psycho doubled in pain and the men could just stay there and watch, horrified.  
"I am now the one who killed the Wudalchi Daejang. You don't need to worry anymore." He sounded awfully satisfied and I wished I could leave the injured man even for just a moment and delete that smug smile from his face one slap after the other. But I couldn't.  
"My tools! Prepare for surgery!" I shouted and a quick order made the young boy called Dae Man run away like the wind, to get my tools and prepare everything I needed to save his leader.  
We needed to get the man to the house as fast as possible. We needed to stop the blood, to keep him conscious.  
"Here, press here!" I ordered the man beside me, while the snake was still trying to make us leave _him_ behind. It was useless though. Even me, who could barely look at them now, knew those men would have never left _him_. So when I heard the man holding the Daejang, as they called him, shouting that he wouldn't escort me back because he needed to press on the wound like I ordered, I raised my head and quickly asked for something to carry him.  
"A stretcher..." I asked, trying to find a word they could understand. "A litter!"  
Again, the man holding the psycho nodded so several others ran away to build what we needed to carry their Daejang back to the house.  
"Now listen to me." I asked him, trying to calm down. Panic would do us no good. "You're the one who gives the orders, right?"  
"I'm the Commander, the second in command." He answered, looking at me in utterly confusion.  
"Ok Commander." I nodded in my most professional voice. "You're stronger than I am. Never stop, not even for a moment, to press on the wound. We must block the blood as much as we can. Got it? Press down."  
He frantically nodded and I turned my attention on examining the injured man as better as I could without instruments, trying my best to ease the pain and making mental preparation on the surgery.  
When the litter was ready I instructed the men to carefully place him there and then we moved back to the village as fast as we could. While we were walking I never stopped examining him. His heartbeat was increasing and the blood loss was becoming dangerous.  
"You can't lose consciousness." I ordered _him_. "Can you hear me?"  
"With you touching my body all over," he answered in a whisper, "how can I lose consciousness?"  
"If your heart rate increases any faster, you could go into hypovolemic shock." I explained him. "I can't do a blood transfusion here, so no matter what..."  
He interrupted me, suddenly grabbing my collar and slightly pushing himself up.  
"Imja, you didn't do this." He said, his voice stronger now.  
"What?" I asked, surprised. Even wounded he was still strong enough to move and even grab me so strongly.  
"Never in a million years could you stab me, Imja." He told me again, like it was an obvious thing.  
_Well, the you could have avoided the sword, and we wouldn't be in this situation!_  
I tried to break free but he just pulled me down to him, now whispering.  
"Listen to me carefully." He was looking at me with tired eyes and there was blood on his mouth but he still had the nerves of trying and ordering me around. "If you truly wish to save me, then leave me and go. I will find a way to survive on my own. Please leave me."  
Oh, so he was this type of patient: the noble one. Of course he wanted me to leave him there, so he would hit two pigeons with one stone: he would protect his King as we wouldn't be delayed because of him, and at the same time he would die, repaying his debt. I guess that surviving so he could keep his promise didn't even cross his mind. But, everything aside, I was a doctor and the person who stabbed him on top of that. I had no desire of becoming a murderer.  
I broke free from his grip with impatience. "Shut up!" I shouted in English. Of course he couldn't understand it, but it made me feel better. "Shut up" has a better sound than "Be quiet."  
"Shut your mouth." I told him again and he closed his eyes in defeat, already knowing what I would say next. Well, that was something else to be satisfied for: for once, I was the one talking and he was the one obeying.  
"Listen to me. The order goes like this: first, I save you. After that, if you want to live or die somewhere else, it's up to you. Just try and die without my permission..."  
_And I'll kill you myself. Again._  
I didn't say the last part of course, but I hoped he got the meaning. I was the one who stabbed him, so I would be the one who saved him. After that, we could talk and figure out how he could send me home. And then he could go and hang himself somewhere. But first I needed to go back to square one, where I still didn't stab him. I needed him to be alive and well.  
He leaned back on my bag, closing his eyes and didn't speak again.

We were almost at the village when he passed out due to the blood loss. The troops made sure our path to the house was as fast as possible and when we got there we found Dae Man nervously waiting outside.  
"Upstairs!" He stuttered, leading us. "Royal Physician Jang already prepared everything."  
I nodded and choked back an apology to the boy when I saw his anguished face. It was my fault that his friend was in this state, but this wasn't the time to talk. I needed to save him.  
I charged in the room, leaving it up to the men to settle the psycho on the table and quickly inspected my tools. I needed to cut his abdomen open, but I needed light. I looked around but of course there was no electricity there. I almost wailed in frustration, how was I supposed to operate like this?  
_Calm down Eun Soo. You can do it. You just need to find alternatives to everything you don't have here._  
"Light anything that can be lit," I quickly ordered. "It must be brighter than daytime here. Also, send someone to boil water. I also need clean cloths, as many as possible!"  
I stopped, noticing the lack of a small bottle. "Where is the antibiotic?" I asked, before remembering they maybe didn't know the word. "A bottle like this!" I showed them the small size, now worried. "Without it, doing a laparotomy in this filth will have him dead from blood poisoning!  
The young boy's expression and despair cry told me everything I needed to know: the antibiotic was gone. I hesitated just a moment, weighing my options: there was nothing I could do but a surgery. I had to take that risk, the psycho already lost too much blood.  
"You all, stay away!" I ordered then. "Don't come near! You're all covered in bacteria." So was I and so was the man called Royal Physician Jang, but there was nothing I could do about it.  
Asking him about antibiotics just made him arch his eyebrow in confusion but when I explained I also needed an anaesthetic, something to force the psycho to sleep, he nodded and sent someone to get his medicine bag.  
I helped lighting up any candle I could find then I put on my special glasses and my gloves when the assistant came back with the medicine bag. I couldn't know what kind of anaesthetic they were using, but it was taking too long to work. I knew the psycho was unconscious, but that wasn't enough. He would have woken up as soon as I cut him.  
I could tell Dr. Jang didn't like me. We started wrong since the beginning of this weird story, when I refused to operate on the girl until the last moment: he was of course the very righteous type of doctor, not to mention he probably never saw all the stuff I was using. So when I asked why the anaesthetic was taking that long to work, his reply was definitely defensive. Well, I didn't care what he thought about me, as long as I could do my job.  
"The surgery must be done now!" I argued, wishing that stupid stuff worked faster.  
"I believe the Daejang can withstand the pain." Was the answer. _Oh, right, just what I needed! The macho answer: You can do anything to me, but I'm strong and I'll bear it!  
_"This is not a matter of withstanding the pain." I tried to explain. "I must first cut open his abdomen to examine the extent of the damage to his organs. Only then I can proceed accordingly. If the patient is straining to withstand the pain, his organs will stiffen. Then I won't have a clear view and I won't be able to suture properly!"  
I was almost out of breath after my tirade when finally the anaesthetic worked. The psycho was asleep. I quickly put on my mask, giving orders for the clean cloths and the boiling water and prepared to cut the abdomen open.

A hand on my wrist blocked me. Dr. Jang was stopping me.  
"What are you doing?" He asked me suspiciously.  
"I said I need to open his abdomen!" I replied, starting to be pissed off. Was he deaf or what? I already told him!  
"Aren't you treating a sword injury to the stomach?" He asked me again. "Why are you cutting it?"  
I tried to explain what I needed to do, even telling him we really needed to hurry or _he_ would have died from blood loss, but then the Doctor went straight to the heart of the problem.  
"He is the man you wanted to kill, yet you're saying you'll save him now. Can I trust you?"  
My answer was immediate, without even thinking. "You can."  
"Why?" This was a better question, and he was right. Why would he trust me? He knew I was a captive there. He knew the psycho stopped me from going back home and he knew I stabbed him in anger. Of course he couldn't trust me. But how could I explain him that I never really intended to kill _him_? How could I explain I was sorry for what happened and I was just trying to fix what I did? He would have probably never believed me. So I used their own words against them. They believed I was from Heavens, right? That I was a Divine Healer? I could use his own superstition then.  
"Don't you all say that I'm a Healer from the Heaven?" I told him, trying to look as stern as I could. "So please believe me."  
I looked at him, trying to convey trust with my eyes. I needed his help. I needed him to trust me if we wanted to save the psycho. He looked back trying to understand if I was telling the truth or if I was just waiting for the perfect moment to finish my job.  
_Please trust me,_ I prayed. _Please allow me to save him. Please don't let him die because of me._


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

* * *

Dr. Jang was still not moving and I didn't know what else to say to make him release me. He was probably weighing his options, trying to decide if he could save the psycho without me. The problem was _he_ didn't have time. He was dying, right in front of us and, unless this doctor proved to be a better surgeon than me, I was his only chance to survive.  
Maybe they were friends, it made sense: this doctor was with them and if the psycho was indeed a warrior it was likely Dr. Jang was the one who healed him every time he got hurt. Now he didn't want to leave his friend at the mercy of the woman who nearly killed him.  
I was trying to think at something else to say to convince him when he finally let me go. I didn't waste time, in case he changed his mind and immediately cut the psycho's abdomen with relief: now he couldn't stop me anymore.  
_Eun Soo, concentrate now. The stomach. Is the stomach hurt?  
No, it isn't. That's good.  
Now, the liver. The liver is cut. I need to suture it.  
The blood vessels. I can tie the bigger ones, but what about the micro ones? I don't have a bovie. Damn it!  
No, no panic. Think Eun Soo. What did they use back in the old days when they couldn't tie the blood vessels?  
Fire! They cauterized the wounds.  
Ok, needles. No, this one is too big. That one. The smell of burning flesh is so nauseating... alright, the bleeding stopped.  
Now, the suture. Come on, Eun Soo, you're near the end._

When I took off my gloves, I could barely stand on my feet; the adrenaline rush that kept me going was finally subsiding and I had to sit down, my head suddenly dizzy. Looking outside we were well into the night. The surgery must have taken hours.  
"Are you alright?" Dr. Jang asked me. His voice was kinder than before, and a bit worried. He approached me and I smiled, tired and with my eyes barely open anymore. During the surgery we reached a sort of silent understanding: I was saving his friend, using techniques he never dreamt about and while he was helping me I could feel he was looking at me with a new respect. At least he wasn't thinking about me as an attempted murderer anymore.  
"I'm fine," I replied, "Give me a minute, then I'll bandage him."  
"I'll do it." He answered, a bundle of clean cloths in his hands. "Divine Healer, rest now. You worked hard."  
_Just a minute,_ I thought. _I'll close my eyes just a minute, to rest. I need to keep watch tonight, to see if he wakes up or if he develops a fever. Sepsis is the greater risk now. Oh, how I wish I had my antibiotic..._

When I opened my eyes it was morning already. My whole body was aching, as I fell asleep on a chair and it took a moment to realize where I was. Still there. I was still there. I wasn't in my bed, in my apartment or even at Coex. This was becoming a very frightening reality, one that I couldn't deny, no matter what. A reality where I was trapped in a world I couldn't understand, with no way home.  
And a world where the psycho was awake and reaching for his sword!  
I bolted up, grabbing the clamps. _Oh God, now he's going to kill me because I stabbed him._  
"Don't move!" I stuttered, holding the clamps in my shaking hand, like a lethal weapon. "Put down your sword! Or I'll..."  
"What will you do?" He asked me. Well, at least he looked tired. Maybe he wouldn't have been able to draw that sword and pay me back with my own coin. "You stabbed me and then spent the night treating me. Now you want to stab me again? In order to treat me again?"  
No, he wasn't going to punish me. He was more using the sword as a stick, to keep him up. Why was he up anyway? He shouldn't. He should stay in bed for some days, trying to recover. That was not a simple wound, that was a sword stab!  
"Daejang!" Dae Man rushed beside me, pushing me on the chair while running, happy and relieved to see his friend up again.  
As they talked, I observed them. The psycho was almost doubled over in pain and Dae Man was carefully supporting him, helping him to stand up and then walk. It was almost like he was his puppy: he was always the first to go to him, the first to react, a loyal friend always by his side. For a moment it made me jealous: I never had that kind of friendship with anybody and for sure I never had that kind of loyalty. A friend allowed to see me in that state? A friend to show my weaknesses to? No way, I always was too much independent for that.  
Well, no matter what, the psycho needed to lay down. He could barely stand on his feet and stress was the last thing he needed. So, when he asked for his armor, my eyes went wide. An armor? No!  
"What are you doing? Where are you going?" I was stunned. A man with a sword stab in his abdomen who could actually stand up the next morning, walk and even wear an armor?  
"You need to lay down right now." I demanded while Dae Man helped him. That armor was heavier than the one he previously wore. Bulkier. "You can't walk, you can't sustain such a heavy weight, you're still recovering! Lay down now!"  
No need to say they completely ignored me, like I wasn't even there; it was like I was invisible, like I could stand right in front of them and cry and they wouldn't listen. Was it that hard to see that the psycho was in so much pain he couldn't even walk straight? I didn't even have any painkiller with me!  
I followed them down the stairs, still incredulous, finding him among his men. Great, more puppies to defend this unreasonable, idiotic warrior.  
"Didn't you hear what I said? You must rest! Listen to me!" All their eyes were on me, but I didn't stop. They would hear me out this time! I rushed downstairs, pushing Dae Man aside when he tried to stop me.  
"I worked hard to suture you up, what if that wound opens back again?"  
I couldn't believe my eyes when he ignored me again and just ordered his men to prepare their immediate departure. This man! I wanted to hit him so hard right now...  
"Do you think this is some small wound that a few stitches will cure?" I shouted again. I couldn't believe he actually didn't know how bad his injury was. He was a warrior! He had to know! So why was he this unreasonable?  
"The liver inside your abdomen was cut open! I sutured it back up one blood vessel at a time, don't you understand?"  
Damn it if I was going to let him waste all my work! I spent a night treating him!  
I took the direct approach this time. He was a warrior, wasn't him? Then he would sure understand orders when he heard them. I was a doctor and this was a medical situation: my authority was higher than his! I proceeded to tell him exactly what he needed to do, step by step and made sure he understood he was under my responsibility until I removed the stitches. I was rather proud of myself: in a world I didn't know, with people who could easily hurt me, I was actually standing my ground, keeping my head up and not letting anyone mistreat me.  
In the middle of my tirade though, the psycho collapsed on my shoulder, finally out of strength. That scared me, but relieved me at the same time: maybe he would listen to me now!  
"The problem is," he managed to say trying to breathe through the pain, "if we don't depart now, we will all die. I can't fight in this condition."  
Die? Why die? What was happening? I was starting to panic again. I couldn't even laugh when he misunderstood my question, thinking I was asking him about his inability to fight. It was amazing how he thought just eating would solve the matter: he had a sword thrust through his whole body, he barely survived a surgery, he couldn't even walk straight and he thought he would be better by eating!  
Then he ignored my question again, looking at me like I was some kind of silly, idiot girl. Hey, my question was perfectly fine! He said we were going to die, I had the right to ask why, or by whom!  
I grabbed his arm trying to turn him around to give him another piece of my mind but he avoided my grip, managing to spin me around with amazing quickness, holding me right in front of his face.  
"Imja, their capturing you indicates that they know of your identity." He tiredly told me. Some answers finally! I didn't like them though. So those men kidnapping me actually had a reason? Because I came all the way there to heal the girl? Did they know where I came from?  
"Although I don't know how much they know," he continued, struggling to speak, "leaving before they regroup for another attack is the best plan."  
A thought suddenly occurred to me. He kept saying "we". He was including me as well in that "we"! He wanted me to go with them!  
"Leave? Leave for where? Why must I leave!" No no, I didn't want to leave! I needed to stay there!  
"Is it that difficult listening to me?" He told me again, his eyes slightly exasperated now. "In order for me to keep the promise to send you back, Imja, the prerequisite is that you must be alive!"  
So, he changed his mind again. Now he wanted to send me back. Too bad I was already proved his wishes counted for nothing if his "King" ordered otherwise.  
"I will always protect you. So please," he stopped to look at me. His eyes were tired, full of pain, but determined. He was _willing_ me to believe him. "don't take one step from my side."  
I was stunned for some moments and I found myself slightly nodding because of the sheer strength of his words. How could I not agree to everything he said when he was looking at me with such resolution? As soon as he let me go and turned around to go away with his men though, I came back to reality again.  
I couldn't really trust him, or anybody for what mattered. I needed to remember I was alone to fight my battles. The Gate was here and if I let them take me away from it, their "King" would have found reasons upon reasons why I couldn't come back. I didn't even know why he wanted me here now! Maybe the Gate was also part of the reason they wanted to leave so quickly: now it was closed, but what if it opened again? Tomorrow? Or in some days? If I wasn't here, then I couldn't escape.  
_I'm sorry psycho. Either you're a really good actor, or you believe in what you are telling me now about protecting me and sending me back home. But I can't trust you. I can't trust anybody._  
"I will not leave!" I shouted, defying them all. They stopped walking and turned to me, clearly not believing their ears. But I wasn't going to be handled like a soulless doll!  
"The door through which I can return, that hole, isn't it here? How can I leave here? I won't leave. I'm not leaving!" I took a step towards the psycho, clearly angered, but Dae Man stopped me once again. He really was a watchdog!  
I looked at _him_ nearly begging with my eyes and I could say he was at a loss. Maybe he wasn't used to someone arguing his orders, especially in front of his men, but I wasn't going to just bow and say "Yes Daejang" like they all did. And I wasn't going to leave that place either.  
In the end he sighed, telling his puppy to do something about me and left with the Commander.  
Do something about me? What?! Who did he think he was? I wasn't one of his troop, he had no right to order me around like that!  
I soon found out that even if he didn't have the right, he still had the strength to make sure I did what he wanted. His watchdog never left my side, not allowing me to exchange another word with the psycho and following me anywhere. He never touched me he but closed every corner I could go leaving me no other option but to go upstairs again and gather my stuff up. The biggest problem was he was still carrying the psycho's sword. I didn't know if he could actually use it, but I didn't really want to find that out.

"You could at least tell me why I can't go back home!" I exclaimed after a while of silent watch. "What is it that this King want from me? I'm just a doctor!"  
No reply of course. Not that I was expecting any... ignoring me looked like the national hobby here.  
"Listen." I sighed sitting down after gathering my tools. "Your Daejang as you call him, isn't in good shape. The surgery was hard and he barely survived. He should be resting right now, not running around. And not with that armor on! The wound could open up again and that's just one of the problems. He's not out of danger yet."  
That got his attention, finally. He still didn't speak, but at least he was looking at me now.  
"You don't know what sepsis is, right?" I sighed again, shaking my head. Of course he didn't. "Well, let's just say he could fall sick again. Just because the surgery went fine, it doesn't mean he's alright now. And walking around isn't going to make it better!"  
I felt like I was talking to myself as he wasn't answering but I hoped he got the general meaning: the psycho wasn't ok yet and he needed to rest. He also needed to be kept under watch.  
"Dae Man!" I heard the Commander calling from downstairs. It was our cue to move. I froze in my chair, refusing to stand up.  
"I don't want to go." I whispered, my hands closing in fists on my pants. "I don't want to. I want to go home. Please don't make me leave here. I'll hide somewhere, nobody will find me. Please, help me."  
I expected him to just grab my wrist and drag me along, like his Daejang so loved to do, but the boy clearly didn't know what to do with me. He looked around confused and scratched his head taking a step towards me and then stopping again.  
"D...Daejang..." He stuttered, trying to speak while not looking at me at the same time. "He promised. He'll... send you back."  
"He won't." I whispered again. "He wanted to, but he was ordered to keep me here."  
"He'll find a way." The boy stammered again. "He p...promised."  
"I can't trust him." I wasn't standing up yet, but I was looking straight at him. He looked away, uncomfortable. "I can't trust anyone. I don't know what you all want from me. I just know I was kidnapped, beaten up, threatened and I almost died. And then your Daejang broke your promise to me."  
"We... have to go." He bit his lip, taking another step towards me. It looked like I had no choice but to obey, again.  
I stood up, clenching my fists and I got my stuff, walking to the stairs.  
"D...Daejang..." Dae Man stopped me, looking at the floor. "Trust him. He never broke a promise. He will... protect you. Stay near him. He'll send you back to Heavens soon."  
I turned to look at him, but his eyes were fixed on the ground, his fingers clinging on the psycho's sword like saying those few words was a challenge for him. I didn't reply, just sighing. What could I say? The boy believed his leader, but I couldn't. I already had the proof I couldn't trust him.  
Yet, I had no choice but to go where he wanted me to, or I had no doubt he would tie me up and force me to follow.

I slowly walked downstairs with my bag, my watchdog just behind me. _He_ was nowhere to be seen but as soon as I was out the inn I found his familiar figure near a couple of carriages.  
"You'll stay in this carriage with the Queen." He told me as soon as I approached. He was pale and ready to collapse any moment, but his eyes still had that resolute glint. I didn't reply and just hopped in, finding the injured girl. She was awake but still weak and I slightly bowed my head, not in the mood to talk. It looked like she didn't want either because she never opened her mouth during out short journey to the river.  
The boats waiting for us weren't big, and I wasn't even sure they could cross the water without sinking but apparently I was the only nervous one. Boarding was very quiet and quick as they couldn't wait to leave that village behind.  
I sat down, staring at the water moving beneath me, then I looked up.  
The Gate was in that direction. It was the third time I saw my way home disappear in front of my eyes. Crossing the river I knew I was leaving the only place that could lead me home. I didn't know where that village was, I didn't know where we were going and I didn't know how to get back there.  
I bit my lips choking back a sob but I felt a slow, lonely tear rolling down my cheek. I hurried to dry it, taking a deep breath to regain my composure but when I turned my head, _he_ was there, looking at me.  
Our eyes met and I knew that he had just seen me crying.  
Turning around once more I broke our stare, looking back at the water. I never felt so empty and desolate.


End file.
